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Education in France and Counting Backwards Posted by John Bauer on Nov 11, 2015
Je viens de revenir en France (I just came back to France), which means I’ve been dealing with le décalage horaire (the time difference). That also means all the confusion of living abroad in another language has come rushing back, bringing up interesting interactions. Having a conversation with un ami (a friend), I wanted to…
My Ancestors and Their Degeneration Posted by John Bauer on Nov 4, 2015
I’m a big fan of les chansons françaises (French songs) or rather les chansons en français (songs in French). Whether they’re from la France, le Québec, or somewhere else in la francophonie, there’s a lot of musique en français that mixes modern styles with a folkier past. One groupe I like is, Mes Aïeux (My…
Back To Le Futur in Version Française Posted by John Bauer on Oct 28, 2015
Last week was le jour (the day) that Marty McFly went into the future, but with le voyage dans le temps (time-travel), being off by a week doesn’t matter too much. There’s still plenty of time to watch the movie in French! The title of the film is une traduction littérale (a literal translation): Retour…
Editor’s Note: Understanding Acronyms and Abbreviations Posted by John Bauer on Oct 21, 2015
French uses many sigles (acronyms) and abréviations (abbreviations) in everyday writing beyond textspeak. There are many in English aussi (as well) that people don’t think about very often: etc, eg, ie, PS, and many more. I was reading an article en français (in French) and I came across un sigle that I couldn’t understand: Ndlr…
French Weird Al – Oldelaf et Monsieur D Posted by John Bauer on Oct 14, 2015
Music parody champion Weird Al is celebrated for his wit and ability to imitate songs in both a funny and clever way. The only problem is il ne chante pas en français (he doesn’t sing in French)! Heureusement (luckily), there is un groupe français (a French group) that nicely fills the music comedy niche! Oldelaf…
When is France? Ask Dom and Tom! Posted by John Bauer on Oct 7, 2015
France is 6 hours ahead of the US East Coast most of the time, n’est pas (right)? Where France is, and thus when, on a map is different than what many people think. The story is complex and gets into politics, but even the more easily identifiable parts of France create an interesting map. Surtout…
Chasing The Sun – L’Heure D’Hiver Posted by John Bauer on Sep 30, 2015
Last week was l’équinoxe d’automne (the autumnal equinox) marking shorter days and colder weather. It also marks la saison des moissons (the harvest season) and many holidays across the world. However, there’s one tradition d’automne (autumn tradition) that is annoying for everyone involved. L’heure d’hiver Standard time En automne on gagne une heure (you gain…